Here still be creatures, free to use (but not to publish) in any non-commercial campaign or setting of your choice. You find them in the Creature Archive in the lower left side-bar.

From September 17, 2012, the Bestiary has transformed into an information channel for MonstersByEmail.com, which is a 2.50 dollar/month creature subscription providing quality goods for Game Masters, Publishers, Artists, and Creature Fans. You'll find a link in the posts below.

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I'm a freelance illustrator & concept artist living in Sweden. Above all, I love making creatures. This blog is my scene, so here is where you find my work. To see more of my illustrations and concepts go to www.cloister.se

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If you are interested in using any of these creature concepts commercially, on posters, CD covers, T-shirts, or in comics, films or games of any kind etc, please contact me through: nicholas@cloister.se

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Flowers from the sky

Wait a minute… didn't I say “I promise to make a more ordinary creature” next time? What a hell was I thinking? Well, consider it a promise broken. This is not an ordinary beast. It is the Elor Than. You know when the players finally reach that hidden valley or the secret magical kingdom? That’s when these creatures enter. Or perhaps when waking up from an unsettling dream and finding themselves upon the banks of a forest river. Yes, you’re the Game Master, and as always everything is up to you. These are simply my suggestions. Game Masters or not, I want to welcome and greet all the new followers here. You are most welcome, and I will do my best to keep your attention for some time ahead. I would also like to give great thanks to the following sites/people for writing about 'RPG Creatures':

Any questions or requests? Send me an email. (I’m installing a new workstation – computer and screen – this weekend. A long overdue upgrade that I’m rather exited about. Let's see if it affects the quality of my creations...) Until next time, have fun with the Elor Than.

The jellyfish-like ends “flowers” of the Elor Than tentacles are dexterous and lethal constructions. Once an animal is caught by the many smaller arms, the centre fungus emits an acidic substance that breaks down and softens the flesh of the prey. Small creatures are digested directly by the red fungi, while others are delivered to and sucked up through the creature’s elongated tongue. Any remaining hard parts are swallowed whole. A sting by these flowers result in great pain, and continues to do 1-4 four points of acidic damage for an additional 4-8 rounds. If necessary the Elor Than can use all four tentacles to bring down larger beasts and patiently work their flesh into a digestible ooze.

------POWERS/EFFECT-------------------------------(See description)

------DESCRIPTION------------------------------------Rare and strange, the Elor Than can be seen walking slowly across fields covered by morning mist. Their legs moving soundlessly while their tentacles scour through the soggy grass. In such a way they gather the frogs, the fat worms, the slugs, and all other life forms drawn out by the damp. Sometimes seen striding through a course of water, they trap the fish with their deadly flowers, and then stop to unhurriedly consume them. Many have tried to pursue and track these creatures, but all return with the same story; They were there before us, and then they were suddenly gone. The Elor Than are said to travel – to journey through planes unknown. It is said that they leave for places where no man has ever been. Who knows? What is certain is that they usually appear in pairs. But there are some reports of “forests” of great legs suddenly moving through the fog.

Standing more than twice the height of a man these giants are gentle, and avoid contact with most intelligent beings. They have been worshipped as deities by druidic orders, perhaps due to their breathtaking presence. When attacked the Elor Than usually run off and soon vanishes from all sense perception. However, should they stay and fight, they make a deadly opponent.

These creatures are normally found far away from settlements and civilisation. They are smart and commune with eerie series of sounds – reminiscent of the hooting song of pigeons. Some scholars have spent their entire lives hunting and studying them, most in the hope of revealing and understanding their rumoured plane-travelling abilities.

The big membranes on the head, back and joints of the Elor Than are extremely sensitive to sound, and pick up frequencies beyond the capacity of any normal ear. In reality they hear through several worlds at once, and can sometimes pick up the noises of the future, as well as the lingering waveforms of the past. No human has of yet managed to communicate with the strange Elor Than. That is a quest still to be completed.

No young or small Elor Than have ever been spotted. But ancient tomes speak of “the giants among giants” – huge creatures towering far above the others, and “great hungry flowers” descending from the sky.